Randomly Interesting Connections Between Joan Jett and Rock, Cars, and Movies

Joan Jett sounds like Little Richard

Foreigner's Juke Box Hero sounds like a Joan Jett song

Joan Jett has good taste in cars

Joan Jett is a Queen of Rock 'n' Roll

Joan Jett flew in a jet like she belongs in Top Gun

Introduction

        I just had some randomly interesting but unrelated connections between Joan Jett and rock 'n' roll history, as well as other random connections in pop culture. I am using quotes from her 2010 biography, Joan Jett by: Todd Oldham, to support my thoughts. I bought it off the Blackheart Records shop for $10 half off and have enjoyed it four times over so far.

Joan Jett sounds like Little Richard

        So, this is quite random because you would never compare Joan Jett with Little Richard, but her style of music sounds just like his. Little Richard saw success in the mid-1950s as one of rock 'n' roll's pioneers, and is referred to as the "Architect of Rock 'n' Roll," having inspired the Beatles and other musicians in rock and other genres. This is in stark contrast to Joan Jett, who is from the 1970s-1980s, inspired by punk rock. Little Richard's music is actually very fast paced, like punk rock, except it is still very rhythmic and structured. It is early rock 'n' roll but it sounds faster and his vocals can get more wild. This is just like Joan Jett. Except punk wasn't even a thing in the 1950s during Little Richard's time. Some of Joan's music still sounds like structured old style rock, but it is usually faster than normal because she is influenced by punk rock. Little Richard has a ferocious tone in his voice like Joan Jett. Little Richard screams like Joan Jett (OWW!!!). Joan says she learned to scream from Marc Bolan of T. Rex in the song Bang a Gong (Get It On) from 1971. About 2/3 into the song, you will understand when Joan says, "you hear [Marc Bolan] scream and you go, 'okay, there's Joan.' That's me all rolled up into one song." I don't know which rockstar first did screams like that, but Little Richard is the earliest I know of, and he has that ferocious Joan Jett voice with so much power and destruction. It is interesting to see how similar they sound, yet no one would put these two together. This is understandable, because Joan's influences are mainly from the early 1970s during the time she was growing up. In a general sense, Little Richard did inspire the entire rock genre, so the influence can be implied and that it trickled down to musicians into the 1970s.

Foreigner's Juke Box Hero sounds like a Joan Jett song

        Foreigner’s Juke Box Hero from 1981 is about a kid who stands in the rain because he couldn’t get into a sold out rock concert, so he buys a guitar and becomes his own rockstar. He rises to the top to become his own Juke Box Hero, and eventually sees another kid waiting in the rain for his concert that reminds him of himself. This song could sound like it was written about any rockstar, but it really feels like a song that Joan Jett could cover… and it kind of feels like it was written about her too. If you change the “he” to a “she,” the song would still work perfectly. A girl standing in the rain to a sold out concert could represent Joan's struggle in the industry as a woman. The song is also very fast and in-your-face, like punk rock, right up Joan’s alley. One thing that really stands out to me is the lyric describing the boy’s guitar “slung way down low.” This specifically describes Joan very well. “I hold my guitar really low,” she explains. She describes how, “[the pickup] sits right on my pubic bone. And there’s something about hittin’ a chord and that power goes through your pubic bone. And it’s definitely very sexual, and it’s powerful. It’s not just sexual, but it is sexual.” I don’t know if this low guitar position is out of the ordinary, but Joan seems to put it that way, which makes her more interesting because I think I can understand the intensity behind it.

        I always wondered if in those old muscle cars, you could feel the V8 rumble in your seat, just like a low slung electric guitar. Back then, the manufacturing standards were not as refined, and a car's idle sound would sound like it was going to kill you and make Mother Nature piss herself. Glug, glug, glug. That rumbling feeling transferring to your body would feel like the car is fast and dangerous. It would scare the heck out of you and it would be such a monster that it could hurt you if you’re not skilled enough to control it and respect it. Sure, the performance is laughable by modern standards, but just like Joan says about her low slung electric guitar, “it’s just raw emotion, raw hormones, raw potential.” The muscle cars might be slower than a Prius Prime, the tires and build quality are outdated, and there is no traction control or sensors, which will force you to be a more skilled driver. There is so much style and release associated with those old school American cars, just like Joan and her guitar. It doesn't matter if you're not the fastest car or the best guitarist, if it just feels insane to control it and your body receives the feedback from it. And I guess if it feels sexual then it naturally makes people happy too. Joan needs to keep on rockin', she just can't stop... gotta keep on rockin', that girl has got to stay on top... and be a Juke Box Hero, got stars in her eyes.

Joan Jett has good taste in cars

        Joan seems to have some good taste in cars. She has a liking for Jaguars and Ford Thunderbirds. In an interview in Australia in 1982, Joan expressed a liking towards wanting a ‘57 T-bird with the porthole windows (opera windows). This is even more evident when she got to drive a blue T-bird with the top off in her music video for Little Liar in 1988. Amazing! Despite this, it is known that she bought a 1983 Jaguar XJ-S V12 as her first car, and that was even before she had her driver’s license. The XJ-S was a grand touring car, an old car classification meant to prioritize a sustained high speed luxurious ride, like on a highway, rather than racetrack performance. Nowadays, they're kind of hard to distinguish anymore, if anything, but grand tourers seem to have more of a lifestyle look more commonly available with open tops than cars aimed at track performance. Grand tourer nowadays seems like it is synonymous with sports car, now that all 2-door cars are more sporty and less focused on highway comfort. It is even more evident that Joan likes Jaguars when you realize that she covers a song about an XKE shining so brightly in her first album... Call Me Lightning by The Who. The lyric goes, "My XKE is shining so brightly," referring to a Jaguar XKE, known in the U.S. as a Jaguar E-Type, once called the most beautiful car of all time by Enzo Ferrari.

        In addition to the XKE, Joan sings another song with a Jag. She wasn't the original songwriter, in fact, it was Bruce Springsteen. But Joan ended up doing the song as part of the movie of the same name, Light of Day (1987) with Michael J. Fox. The lyrics were also changed slightly, which I believe Joan did, because one of the changed lyrics says, "got a big Jag car and a baby by my side, yeah." Bruce Springsteen's song didn't have a Jag in it. Why was it changed? It could’ve been changed to, “big block Chevelle” or “440 Magnum” or “big Thunderbird.” But, no, it had to be a big Jag car. I think Joan changed it because she likes Jaguars.

        Sometime after 1983, Jaguar slightly changed the name of the XJ-S to just XJS. I remember the first time I saw a Jaguar XJS was in the movie Speed (1994), which was my brother's favorite action movie. We had a tape of that movie. Keanu Reeves drives TUNEMAN's beautiful Jaguar XJS V12 convertible. The movie briefly shows the low miles on the odometer so it was a fairly new car. I always thought the XJS was so beautiful in its own strange way. It had very sleek lines that exemplified its long horizontal look. A flat horizontal look makes a car more beautiful, which is why most modern crossovers look ugly... they are too tall and they have too high of a belt line where the windows meet the body. The rear pillars of the XJS also give me American muscle car vibes because of the recessed rear windshield, except the pillars are more curved in the XJS. It may not be that fast or sporty or reliable nowadays, but it had a proper gentlemanly luxury look that seemed like it could eat up highway miles for breakfast.

        I always liked the look of the Thunderbird. I kind of like them all. In the 1950s, it started out as a luxurious Corvette competitor that looked so good. Throughout the 1960s and 1970s, however, the Thunderbird grew in size and became a personal luxury car, an old American car classification of 2-door luxury cars that were long, had big V8s, and rode on a regular production car chassis, allowing them to be mass-produced in good numbers. They were designed for comfort over sportiness. I was always interested in the T-bird's history because it was so unique. Joan's '57 T-bird was part of the first generation Corvette competitor, and one of its key styling points was the round opera windows in the rear pillars of the hardtop version. Opera windows were an old luxury car style point and later T-birds also had them. In 2002, Ford released a retro-styled T-bird. I thought the 2002 T-bird was nice enough and looked beautiful for an early 2000s melted cheese styled car. Recently I have been thinking if I ever wanted a relatively cheap and comfortable 2-door car, the only one we really have now is the Mustang. Camaro and Challenger are going away. Miata and GR86 are small and sporty and I expect that they’re really stiff. But if you get a Mustang, you carry with you the stereotypes. I would want something more for comfort, more gentlemanly, more stylish. Not that the Mustang isn't stylish. But that's where the Thunderbird comes in, or something like a more stylish Toyota Solara. Too bad the T-bird’s long been dead. The T-bird shouldn't be a boomer car because I think it has a well defined purpose that I like to think a lot of people still want. In a perfect world, we would still be given the choice to experience that dynamic of long range comfort or stiff sportiness. In a perfect world, gasoline cars can co-exist with electric cars and hybrids.

Joan Jett is a Queen of Rock 'n' Roll

        I quickly developed a liking for Joan Jett, strangely, because I discovered her rock covers of old rock songs from the 1950s-1960s. I really liked her versions of those songs and I could hear that influence in some of her original songs too. Joan's 1950s influence is especially evident in her first and second albums. Her typical greatest hits are good, too, in the context of 1980s rock hits. But, I really wish there was a compilation album of Joan's rock covers of those older rock songs. She blows them out of the water. Photographer Mick Rock described Joan as a female Elvis and praised her rockabilly look with big bangs and cowboy boots, after shooting her I Love Rock 'n' Roll album shot in 1982. Mick Rock includes this in his book called SHOT! by Rock: The Photography of Mick Rock. I think this is very powerful because Joan does do a good job with her form of "super hard rockabilly" with 1980s flavor, but she is not known for this. Joan is known for I Love Rock 'n' Roll and inspiring women to get into rock, which is a great achievement. But I think Mick Rock has a very good point, and I wish Joan did more rockabilly and early rock 'n' roll inspired music because she easily blows the older songs away. Her band's sound is amazing and I really like the fusion of old style rock with 1980s guitar sound and Joan Jett’s ferocious Little Richard voice. Below I just made a list of Joan Jett cover songs in a potential early rock/rockabilly style compilation album.

Make Believe

You Don't Own Me

Wooly Booly

Call Me Lightning

Hanky Panky

Nag

Summertime Blues

Tossin' & Turnin'

Star Star

I Need Someone

I Love You Love Me

New Orleans

I Can't Control Myself

Good Music (not a cover, but too good to leave out)

• There's a secret studio version of Good Music on YouTube that is longer and much better than the music video version.

Fun, Fun, Fun

Tulane

I Hate Long Goodbyes

Rebel Rebel

Bonus tracks:

The Runaways - Blackmail (not a cover, but still so much rockabilly to leave out)

The Runaways - Eight Days A Week

Joan Jett flew in a jet like she belongs in Top Gun

        Joan got to fly with the Air Force. Joan Jett flew in a jet. She got her own flight suit and helmet like a fighter pilot. This got me thinking about a great idea. A Joan Jett character belongs in a 1980s action movie, like Top Gun. 1980s action movies may be cheesy and stupid sometimes, but what they usually get right is the human aspect, the relationships, and the character development. I think a lot of 1980s movies do strong protagonists the right way and grounds them in reality.

        Top Gun (1986) is a great example of strong protagonists. Love him or hate him, Tom Cruise is an exceptional actor. I wish he played more villain roles like in Collateral (2004). Maverick and Iceman are constantly picking at each other, trying to out-testosterone each other to finish first in the Top Gun flight school. Okay, on the outside, this may seem like high school, but it gets a lot deeper than that. First of all, Iceman is the morally right character, not Maverick. Like all Tom Cruise's characters, Maverick is too aggressive which sometimes leaves his ally in the dark. Iceman is the guy who sticks by his wingman, isn't dangerous, no matter what he thinks of his ally. Iceman is right. Iceman is not the villain because he supports his team when he flies.

        Joan Jett's entire life story is like a great character arc. A Joan Jett character could outdo Maverick. Joan could be an even more determined go-getter than Maverick. She could be an even more aggressive fighter pilot and give Maverick a run for his money because she isn't scared in a male-dominated industry and she will not stop until the mission is complete and she buzzes the tower. Joan also looks the part of a strong protagonist. "That leather jacket, the dark hair, heavy makeup, it was kind of armoring because people were kind of afraid of me," Joan says, and she also wore aviators in her Runaways days. It does make her look intimidating, but she never meant it to be that way.

        Like Maverick, Joan Jett has a bad reputation and she won't stop until the mission is complete. Joan Jett could use her wit and out-testosterone Iceman and Slider, until not even Iceman's killer haircut or Slider's six pack could intimidate her. Iceman would tell Joan Jett that she’s worse than the enemy, because when she’s up there she’s unsafe, that he doesn't like her because she's dangerous. Then, Joan gets up in Iceman's face and she retorts with a sly penetrating look, that's right, Ice... man... I am dangerous. Next, Joan experiences Goose's death and she hits rock bottom sorrow. Maverick's hotshot personality almost seems like he is faking it, like faking confidence even if you don't have it. Goose's death makes Maverick drop all his confidence, and he comes close to quitting everything and giving up, needing the guidance of his girlfriend Charlie and his superiors to help pull him up. Joan's confident, tough, intimidating look masks a lot of her struggles, where she describes The Runaways, "doing something that was shaking people up because people were really hostile. A lot of the press was really hostile, and I couldn't understand it, why they would be so...mean." She goes on to describe what the press would say: "'You shouldn't be doing this,' and 'That's not ladylike,'" and even "a lot of slut questions." All they're doing is just playing instruments. Often times, movies get strong female protagonists wrong because they have no real struggle, but Joan Jett could be a perfect candidate because she has real struggle and humbleness behind her motivation to rock out. Maverick deals with the struggle of growing up without his father who went missing flying over Korea by being determined to be the best pilot, until he finally loses a teammate. How much flak can one person take before they go crazy? A Joan Jett character would be in turmoil because of all the hate, like Maverick quitting Top Gun because he can't take losing his teammate. At the end, when Joan picks herself back up and gains Iceman’s trust, Iceman comes in and tells Joan that she is still dangerous, but she can be his rhythm guitarist anytime.

        Joan has described her young self as a tomboy. She likes sports, like the Baltimore Orioles in baseball. So she would fit perfectly in with that Top Gun sexy beach volleyball scene, and bro hugging Iceman after they begin to trust each other. She likes to perform and support the troops. I read a Reddit post where people were discussing something about how American soldiers in old wars could easily adapt to throwing grenades in a perfect arc because a lot of them grew up pitching baseballs, and grenades were baseball-sized. I don't know how true that is, but that sounds logical and badass. Joan loves baseball...

        ...so, yes, Joan Jett can throw grenades in a perfect arc. Joan says, "I think that sports and rock 'n' roll are very similar. I think the band is like the team. Everybody has their part. You need your team. You need your band." The military is the same way, you need your trusted soldiers and service members to do their part, and great 1980s action movie characters often had military ties, so they understand the struggle and the teamwork. Joan Jett can give Iceman and Maverick a run for their money and become the best fighter pilot in Top Gun, because once she sets her mind on something, she just goes right for it. Joan Jett can be the squad leader because she understands the struggle and will lead by example. Joan Jett can throw grenades in a perfect arc like baseballs. Joan Jett will use overwhelming force and heavy artillery like the American military against anyone who objects to her existence in the rock 'n' roll industry for being a woman. Joan Jett can inspire hearts and minds around the world. That is why she would absolutely fit in a great 1980s action movie. She could be Joan Rambo or Joan McClane. She could even be Joanie Utah, or Joan Kimble, or Joan Wick. If any girl could ride in a Huey to Long Tall Sally while being dropped into hostile territory, it would be Joan fucking Jett. They’re not sending in the regular army. They’re sending in Joan Jett’s squad.